Retreat Countdown

Over the last three days I have taken a Major League break from quilting.  One of our son's best friends that he played baseball with since they were little leaguers made his Major League debut as a pitcher for the Minnesota Twins this week.  My husband and I were priveleged to be able to host his parents and see him throw his first ever pitch in the big leagues.

Now it is time to get back to work and get myself prepared for my spring Michigan quilt retreat.  We are going to have a blast with some very different projects and of course tons of sewing time.  Please check the retreat buttons at the top of the blog for information about the summer retreat in California and the fall retreat in Michigan.  I hope to see you at one of them.

I would so love to hear from you on what has been your most memorable moments on a quilting retreat.  Mine has always been watching new friendships blossom and grow.  That is one of the reasons I keep doing them.

Have a blessed and productive weekend.

Dee

Quilt Show Inspiration

This past weekend I was able to attend the Chicago International Quilt Festival.  What a treat this was.  I was looking for new ideas, wanting to learn new techniques and of course shop in the vendor mall.

I took an all day painting class and learned some very innovative ways to use paint in my quilting.  I cannot wait to put my new found knowledge to work.  Cindy, our instructor, creates beautiful and amazing quilts from painting fabric alone and beautiful quilting.

The vendors are always tempting me with beautiful fabrics, chotchkies (sp?), threads and tools.  Yes, I succumbed to a few items.

However, the most wonderful part was looking at the amazing quilts and seeing the talent men and women have in textile art.  WOW!  The "Wicked" challenge quilts were fun and oh so creative.  It was very hard to pick a favorite.  Following are a couple quilts that caught my eye;

If you have opportunity to attend a quilt show I highly recommend it.  Take a friend(s) along, wear comfortable shoes, carry a lightweight bag with you for all the goodies you will be buying and find the foot massage people for a pick me up when the feet start getting tired and achy.

Happy and Blessed Easter everyone!
Christ is Risen!

Dee

Half Square Triangles

There are about six projects in progress in my studio right now and several of them have half square triangles involved in some way.  Making them is a pretty basic quilting technique.  I would like to share a few of the ways I tackle them.

Putting two squares right sides together and marking on one your sewing lines and cutting line makes the square come out well.  I also oversize them and cut them down after sewing them which really gives me great accuracy.

Using my easy angle ruler, especially when I need to save fabric, is another way I enjoy making the half square triangles.  With this ruler you don't need to add the 7/8" to the finished size but cut strips adding only the 1/2" seam allowance.  Put the strips right sides together and follow the directions with the ruler and sew.  Be careful as you sew not to distort the bias edge.

Using these Star Singles papers when I have a lot of half square triangles to make is probably my most favorite method.  They sew up quickly and I get great accuracy and it makes the job less daunting.  The paper comes off quite easily, especially when I run the back side of my seam ripper down the stitched line the paper practically falls off.

My retreat in California was wonderful.  I so enjoy being with the ladies that come and I certainly relished the warmer weather and beautiful sunshine.  I am now preparing for the upcoming retreat in Michigan.  It promises to be fun and productive.

Enjoy this first day of Spring and its promise of good things to come.

Blessings,

Dee